The firebrand Chapman matriarch will be sorely missed by her loving and big family, who were dependent on her.
The Chapman family lost their beloved matriarch but she "prepared everybody" before she took the stairway to heaven. Her husband, Duane, and kids, Bonnie and Gary, as well as stepson, Leland, recently spoke about how they are going on without the woman who ran their tight ship. The bounty hunting reality show wouldn't be the same without Beth, who was a go-getter.
Leland said that he already notices a difference with her gone. If she were still here, she would be yelling "let's go already", he told Entertainment Tonight. She would scold Duane for talking too much, he added.
He has faith in his family. "We'll pull through, we are a strong family. Our bond is strong. I believe that Beth ran such a tight ship it becomes natural. That's instilled in all of us," he said.
Beth, 51, passed away on June 26 after fighting against throat cancer for years and received two loving memorial services to honor her. Duane, 66, lives on and even though he's coping with his grief as strongly as he can, he often tears up while speaking about the love of his life. His youngest daughter, Bonnie, said that she's worried she won't be able to be there for him as her mom was.
"Only person who knew him like the back his hand was mom. That's what I am worried about. I want to be able to be there for him like she was. I know I can't replace her," she said. The 20-year-old woman, fresh with grief, recently had a scary dream about losing her father and said, "I say it was from losing someone and being scared to lose someone else. In that dream, I had almost lost him. It was frightening."
The Chapman baby, Gary, has not even come to terms with his loss. The serious young man, who recently turned 18, wants to become a cop and attributes all his determination to his mother. His family believes that he is the most like her because of his passion and dedication towards his dream. When nobody supported his dream, his mom accepted his choices and egged him on.
The young man said, "It hasn't really hit me yet but walking around the house, getting ready for work, seeing her stuff, for a second it's like maybe I don't wanna move ahead." He added, "Most of the time I think what would mom think if I did this. Now I think she can actually see me." His father starts laughing then and quips, "Uh oh." The 18-year-old continued, "When I am making decisions it's like hard-hitting when I take her opinion in mind."
The elder sibling, Leland, added that Beth prepared everyone by making sure they had what they needed before she took her last breath. She ensured that Gary had a car for work and others were comfortable. Bonnie added, "She left us a good foundation."
"I found myself talking to her. Last night, I started watching videos. I don't watch the show a lot because I see it as their job and not moments I am part of. I saw the part where mom starts screaming my name, that made me cry so much. I won't hear her say my name again... I am going to miss her voice," she said. "I am definitely gonna take away how determined and passionate she was. I see myself blossom into mini Beth. I am so blessed to have her in my life. I am going to miss her laugh. It was like bells, it made the family happy."
Her youngest child had the sweetest words for her. "I appreciate how she raised me and made me the man I am. I have compassion for law enforcement and she was supportive. She was accepting and gave me the confidence to be a volunteer. I appreciate that," said Gary.
Bonnie too said she is grateful for all that her mom did for her and added, "I am sorry I didn't go to church every Sunday with you. I am sorry for the moments I took for granted. I wanna be the best woman I can for her." Duane wasn't able to contain himself anymore and teared up.
You can watch the interview here:
References:
https://www.facebook.com/EntertainmentTonight/videos/1348205778679614/?v=1348205778679614
